Sham of the Sea

Chapter 9

Y/N felt queasy the next morning. She awoke when it was still dark out, Nayeon snoring peacefully next to her.

Her stomach was in knots, digging through her body with the urge to vomit. In pain, Y/N tried to remember what she had eaten those few days and mentally checked her body for other signs of illness. I didn't caught some sea illness, right? What if my meals had gone bad without me noticing?

When no answer echoed in her tortured body, she gnawed on her lips. A slow dread crept closer into her heart as another thought appeared in her head to poison her mind.

Y/N exhaled and gritted her teeth as another pang of pain shot through her. It's not because of the kiss with Jennie, right? No, that could not be. That could never be. She needed her mother right now, needed to hide in her mother's arms and let her assuring voice soothe her. Her terror weakened her further as both her body and mind suffered from fear.

Y/N had to check. If this was anything but a regular sickness, she had to prepare for much more pain. Should she talk to Jennie? What would Y/N do with a kid onboard? No, she should leave the ship immediately if that was the truth. Jennie would not accept a kid running around between her legs; that captain would kick it into the sea even if it were her own flesh and blood. But would Jennie let her go?

Y/N feared for the life of this poor unborn thing; protectively slinging her arms around her flat stomach. No, she could not let her child get killed just because Jennie thought it's necessary to get rid of. She would rather flee and raise the kid on her own, as her mother did to her.

If Y/N never saw Jennie again, the child could grow up and never had to know who their other mother was. She had heard of too many revenge stories to allow that. As miserable as she would be to see the kid grow up with only one parent, it had to be done. Once Y/N found her way back home, her mother would know how to help.

No wait, was Jennie the mother, or me? They were both women, but with different conditions.

Y/N silently cursed Jennie and promptly froze as she heard someone shuffle further down the corridor. She had discovered what she assumed to be the main crew (Ryujin, Yeji, Sana, Dahyun, Tzuyu and Minji) sleeping on the same level as the rest of the crew in their hammocks. They had berths stacked on top of each other, eight of them, in the back behind the ladder.

When the slow steps retreated towards the storage area, Y/N breathed again.

Now, where was I?

Y/N would keep her child, that was for sure. She would not allow Jennie any intimacy with them, would not even consider letting them become a pirate. Perhaps Jennie not knowing about her offspring, promised the most safety.

Downstairs, the noise of a blade hacking into wood created a horrible wake-up call. Ryujin must have been preparing breakfast, indicating the nearing of dusk.

Abruptly, Y/N remembered Ryujin was a doctor, next to a cook. She could ask her what to do!

Y/N rolled out of her hammock to sneak deeper into the ship's belly. She followed the noises of Ryujin slashing away through the dark and found the kitchen lit in a dancing lantern light.

Just as Y/N appeared in the doorframe, Ryujin whirled around to haul her kitchen knife at Y/N. The blade embedded itself deeply into the wood right next to Y/N's head with a dull thunk. The grip wobbled for a second before it stilled.

Y/N smiled hysterically. "Good morning to you too." she yanked out the bloodied knife. She willed her shaky knees to step into the room to hand the weapon back to Ryujin.

"I apologise; I thought you were someone else. Gotta expect an ambush anytime. What can I help you with, Prince Swab?" That name again. Y/N mentally prepared herself to get used to it.